The best and worst new TV shows of 2013

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star as married KGB agents living undercover in the United States during the 1980s in "The Americans," which stands out as the most impressive series to debut in 2013.CRAIG BLANKENHORN, FX

The year opened with the usual avalanche of new shows that arrives every January, and a surprising number of them have proven to be quite watchable.

This has kept your friendly neighborhood TV critic in good spirits as he slogged his way through about three dozen series premieres. Here is my report card on the year so far, with capsule reviews of the most notable debuts, more or less in my order of preference.

One caveat: The reviews are based on the first episode or two of most of these shows. Some will get better and some will get worse, and I reserve the right to abruptly change my grade at some future point.

THE GOOD

"The Americans" (FX, 10 p.m. Wednesdays) – A dark and fascinating drama about a pair of KGB spies living in deep cover as a suburban American couple in 1980s Washington D.C. Keri Russell stars as the unshakably loyal Soviet; Matthew Rhys plays her husband, who feels the lure of turning their sham life into a real one. Grade: A

"Legit" (FX, 10:30 Thursdays) – Not for the easily offended – or even the not-so-easily offended. The comedy here is utterly outrageous, going to places you would not think a TV show would ever dare. And yet at the core, Australian comic Jim Jeffries' comedy is a sweet tale about friendship and love. Grade: A-

"Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan" (BBC America, 10 p.m. Tuesdays) – The former hobbit turns into a credible Steve Irwin substitute in this series, part travelogue and part nature quest. You want "reality" TV? Watch Monaghan grab a cobra by the tail. Grade: A-

"The Following" (Fox, 9 p.m. Mondays) – This serial-killer serial is brutal, both physically and psychologically, and yet it is fascinating, too. Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy are great as the cop and the killer. The intricacy of the plot and the seeming hopelessness of Bacon's character are very reminiscent of "24." Grade: B+

"Real Husbands of Hollywood" (BET, 10 p.m. Tuesdays) – Somebody had to satirize the "Real Housewives," and we're glad Kevin Hart and his friends stepped up to the plate. This goofy, semi-scripted comedy pokes fun at all the reality show clichés. Grade: B+

"Banshee" (Cinemax, 10 p.m. Fridays) – My guilty pleasure of the moment, and an extremely guilty one at that. This action series – and "action" comes in every variety that implies – rests on an utterly unbelievable premise, but the individual episodes are a lot of fun. Imagine "Walker: Texas Ranger" as re-envisioned by Cinemax's late-night team. Grade: B-

"Continuum" (Syfy, 8 p.m. Mondays) – Rachel Nichols is awesome as a police officer accidentally sent from 2077 to the present along with a cabal of murderous rebels. As with any time-travel fiction, the show wrestles with plot holes and improbabilities, but on the whole it is a fun sci-fi/police-procedural mash-up. Grade: B-

"The Carrie Diaries" (CW, 8 p.m. Mondays) – A lot of "Sex & the City" fans hate this prequel, but it really isn't meant for them. Yes, the protagonist will grow up to be the Carrie Bradshaw of the HBO comedy, but here she is a 16-year-old in a dramedy aimed at teenage girls. And it's about as good as a show like that gets. Grade: B-

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star as married KGB agents living undercover in the United States during the 1980s in "The Americans," which stands out as the most impressive series to debut in 2013. CRAIG BLANKENHORN, FX
DJ Qualls and Jim Jefferies star in "Legit," a series whose boundary-pushing humor may offend some viewers. PATRICK MCELHENNEY, FX
On "Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan," the host proves himself a worthy successor to the late Steve Irwin. BRIAN BOWEN SMITH, BUGZILLA PRODUCTIONS INC.
"Ripper Street," with Jerome Flynn, left, and Matthew Macfadyen, is a crime procedural set in the pre-CSI era of Victorian London. JONATHAN HESSION, TIGER ASPECT
"The Following," starring Kevin Bacon as a cop on the trail of a serial killer and his minions, is a brutal serial that recalls "24." NICOLE RIVELLI, FOX
Anthony Starr stars in "Banshee," an action show that is utterly improbable but still a lot of fun. FRED NORRIS, CINEMAX
AnnaSophia Robb plays the starring role in "The Carrie Diaries," a teen girl-oriented show on The CW that is better than most of its type. PATRICK HARBRON, THE CW
Rachel Nichols plays Kiera Cameron, a police officer from 2077 who comes to the present along with some violent rebels from the future, in "Continuum." SYFY
"Do No Harm" starred Steven Pasquale is Dr. Jason Cole, a neurosurgeon with the nasty habit of being a completely different person at night. NBC canceled the show Friday after two episodes. ERIC LIEBOWITZ, NBC
TV producer David E. Kelley and TV doctor Sanjay Gupta are behind the hospital drama "Monday Mornings," but the show follows the well-worn path of others in the genre. DOUG HYUN, TNT
Meagan Good plays an undercover agent who infiltrates a wealthy family to discover the truth about the death of her best friend from high school in "Deception." DAVID GIESBRECHT, NBC
"Storage Wars: New York," featuring Tad Eaton, left, and Chris Morelli fails to match the appeal of the O.C.-based original. A&E
Bruce Campbell as Doug and Bill Pullman as President Dale Gilchrist yuck it up in a scene from "1600 Penn." BYRON COHEN, NBC
"Double Divas," with Molly Hopkins, left, and Cynthia Richards, manages to make lingerie boring. KAROLINA WOJTASIK, LIFETIME
Amid all the midseason debuts, the reality show "Vanderpump Rules" has distinguished itself as the very worst. TYLER GOLDEN, BRAVO

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